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Originally published in the Proceedings of the EDU-COM 2008 International Conference. Sustainability in Higher Education: Directions for Change, Edith Cowan University, Perth Western Australia, 19-21 November 2008.

Abstract

This research was aimed to control thermal environment (temperature and relative humidity) in airconditioned rooms in order to reach thermal comfort and good health for the people in hospital. This research was divided into 2 sections: Section 1 studies the direct and indirect influence of relative humidity on the health of people inside hospital buildings and the appropriate relative humidity and temperature to achieve thermal comfort and good health for Thailand by using Delphi technique; Section 2 develops single phase air conditioning system using inverter to control thermal environment (temperature and relative humidity) inside the room to reach the appropriate temperature and relative humidity. The results in Section 1 showed that too high and too low relative humidity had direct and indirect effects on sick building syndrome (SBS), illness, respiratory diseases, growth and distribution of bacteria, virus, and house dust mite. The appropriate temperature and relative humidity for Thailand were 26 degrees Celsius and 50-60%, respectively. The results in Section 2 showed that the developed system could control temperature and relative humidity at the desired level with the changes in temperature and relative humidity in the range of +0.35 degrees Celsius and 50-60%, respectively. The development of industrial technology for single phase air-conditioner which can control temperature and relative humidity at a steady level using inverter will lead to good quality of life for the people in hospital in a sustainable manner.